Outdoor/Travel

I live on the East Coast, and I mean right on it. My studio is located about 8 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. People who live here love the beach, and of course the tourists who descend like swarming flies on a slain wildebeest every...

Whenever I judge photo contests including a travel category, one fact quickly becomes apparent: picture-taking during vacation and other trips is not always taken seriously. The photographer who might spend hours making an exceptional landscape...

I had been stalking this particular tree for quite some time and finally all the elements were falling into place. The setting sun cast long shadows and warm light on both this beautifully gnarled tree and the gently rolling surf. I...

Dozens of ballooning events are held around the country throughout the year. No doubt one is held not too far from your hometown. "Shutterbug" contributor Rick Sammon has been shooting balloon festivals for five years. His favorite is...

Fall came late last year to Wisconsin. Either that, or my annual Whitewater class was earlier than it has ever been. Usually, we have autumn color. This time we had sunshine, rain, and a lot of fun (nothing new!). Through it all we learned...

I've always loved the sea, and having grown up around, on, and in the ocean, I guess a fascination with lighthouses was inevitable. If I'm near the coast on a shooting trip and there is a lighthouse nearby I'll try to...

There has never been a more exciting time to take underwater pictures. That's because underwater cameras and camera systems have never been easier to use. Plus, new supersaturated films provide the most colorful photos ever! What's...

The dictionary defines the quality of funkiness as, "unworldly simple or unsophisticated in style; unconventional and individualistic in behavior or style; tasteless, lacking style or good taste; unconventionally stylish and new; having...

In most parts of North America, March signifies the beginning of spring, but it's the April showers that bring the best flowers. By the end of this month, gardens all around us will be lavished with vibrant colors making a highly appealing...

As the last days of summer give way to frosty nights and crisp mornings, the world is transformed into a fiery splendor. In most parts of the US and Canada, crimson maples, golden poplars or aspen, and red dogwoods dominate the landscape. This is a...

Just as there's no one way of taking any kind of photograph, there are several different ways of photographing animals. You can, for example, choose to do a portrait or a close-up or portray the animal as part of the landscape. Browsing through...

People have been fascinated with panoramic imagery ever since the beginning of photography, but my own fascination can be traced back to Bausch & Lomb's invention of CinemaScope lenses for the movies during the 1950s. The first CinemaScope movie, The...

Most people know us as professional travel photographers--lugging around "tons" of 35mm cameras and accessories. We use this gear to document different cultures and customs around the world for our books and magazine articles, as well as for Rick's photo series on the...